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Waves roll gently onto the soft sand, lapping at the shore. Sea Galls caw in the distance, echoing over the soft gentle sound of the ocean. An image of peace, that was once so unimaginable to the world. 71 years ago, the waves crashed red, not white. The only avian sound was that of hundreds of planes bombarding the coast. Shells from mighty battleships rained down upon the cliffs, and the endless streams of machine gun fire.
Yes 71 years is a long time. The scares of this hell storm have slowly healed, erased by the relentless march of time. The grinding gears of the never ending years patiently push the battle scared memories of the past further and further from our minds. The screaming, the pain, the far too real horror of battle are slowly becoming unimaginable concepts for most of the world.
The passage of time brings us both relief, and ignorance of the lessons of history. We are relieved of the first hand painful knowledge of the past, only to have it replaced with an ignorance of what should happen if we fail to heed its lessons.
June 6th, 1944 is the day that the armies of liberty stood up against the darkness, and said “No”. A nation battered by war, stood defiantly and proclaimed “It ends here, you shall go no further.” A nation crippled by depression stood up and said, “Tyranny ends today.” The armies of freedom took on the monster that was Nazi Germany. The United States, the United Kingdom, and their allies rose up, and threw everything they had at the Armies of Socialism, and told Hitler and the Axis Powers, you are done.
The Allies held nothing back. Brave men leapt from airplanes into the black of night, leapt into plywood boats and stormed the beaches of hell. Men left the safety of armored ships, boarded tanks held afloat by an inch of canvas and some insane engineering. Hundreds of thousands stormed the beaches, thousands gave their lives, to liberate Europe from the clutches of socialism tyranny.
71 years ago, the Battleship Texas bombarded the Normandy Coast, her 14 inch cannons pounding German Positions. Today, her guns are silent. She sits forever a memorial to the bravery of the men who fought for freedom around the world. Her decks are filled not with the shouts of men fighting for survival, but of the laughter of children on vacation learning about their nation’s history. 71 years is a long time.
Sadly I believe that most Americans have no clue of the significance of June 6th 1944. I doubt many of them understand the sacrifices made by so many brave men on that fateful day 71 years ago. We are too busy worrying about the newest Iphone, or what some obscure celebrity has done. We are so worried about the trivial and ultimately pointless things, that we fail to take remembrance of the sacrifices made to protect, not just the Freedom of the United States, but of the entire world 71 years ago of the beaches of Normandy. 71 years is truly a long time.
Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. History is a class that is so often treated as a punt in school. Give it to the football coach to validate his position. I know eleven year old kids who have no clue who fought in the Civil War, because “they don’t teach that until 8th grade”. What chance do we have, when history is treated as such a menial thing? Everything we are, everything we have, is because of the decisions made by those who came before us. We are allowed to debate because of the sacrifices made on the beaches of Normandy. The negligence our education system has shown to not just the study, but the understanding of history is nothing short of disgraceful. I would go so far as to say criminal.
How can we expect our children to build upon the foundation laid out by those who came before us, if we choose not to give a damn? How can we expect them not to make our mistakes, if we are too preoccupied with what team is in the NBA finals, or what the Kardashians are doing to give a damn?
We must remember history, we must learn from history. I pray we are never forced to experience another June 6th, 1944, because our leaders failed to learn the lessons of Neville Chamberlain, The man who feed the beast, rather than kill it. I pray we never forget the steep price that must be paid when good men do nothing. I pray that we never forget the lessons learned on D-Day.
Today I ask all who cherish liberty and equality, to pause and remember the brave men who gave their lives on D-Day, the day the Liberation of Europe Began.